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OpenBSD 5.1 released

The OpenBSD 5.1 poster
The OpenBSD project has made version 5.1 of its free BSD-based UNIX-like operating system available to download. The latest update to the distribution comes six months after the release of OpenBSD 5.0 and includes better hardware support, performance improvements and new features, as well as package upgrades.

As expected, support for the NAT64 network address translation mechanism has been added to the packet filter (pf) in OpenBSD 5.1. The change allows pf to translate data packets between the IPv6 and IPv4 internet protocols, and allows IPv6-only hosts to communicate with IPv4-only servers. The new version also introduces IPv6 improvements, such as better fragment handling, and adds support for Synaptics' touch pads and Intel's Sandy Bridge graphics cards.

The GNOME, KDE and Xfce desktop environments have been upgraded to versions 3.2.1, 3.5.10 and 4.8.3 respectively. Versions 3.5.19, 3.6.25 and 9.0.1 of the Firefox web browser, Thunderbird 9.0.1, Chromium 16, PHP 5.2.17 and 5.3.10, and LibreOffice 3.4.5 and are among the updated packages. The project's open source SSH (Secure Shell) implementation, OpenSSH, has also been upgraded to the 6.0 release from last month.

A full list of changes and new features in the new version of OpenBSD can be found in the release notes and in the change log. OpenBSD 5.1 is available to download from the project's mirrors; installation and upgrade instructions are provided. Users can support the project by purchasing the new version on 3 CDs for 50 Canadian dollars (approximately £31) or by making a donation.